My Back-to-School Profile and Playlist This Morning

My Back-to-School profile and playlist was a big hit this morning so I thought I’d share it with you. Around where I live, the first day of school was two weeks ago. Personally I think that’s crazy early, especially when there’s still gorgeous weather to be had for outdoor fun, and when school gets out in May it’s muddy and cold. Better to start and end later, no? But I noticed that many places around the world started school yesterday (here in the US, the day after Labor Day). That makes much more sense! Well, school just started or has been going on for a few weeks now, and you still have a few weeks of mileage with this profile and playlist as many of your students (and perhaps you too) are dealing with getting your kids back in the school routine. Fun, right?!

What better way than to have a little fun in your cycling class with some appropriate (or not-so-appropriate, as the case may be) tunes? I like to use my theme classes to poke fun at whatever occasion I’m celebrating! By the way, this kind of theme profile also allows you the opportunity to get to know a little more about your students and their lives outside of class.

This playlist spans genres with folk, indie, R&B, pop, punk, retro, and classic rock. It also spans the school age, from kindergarten and elementary, to high school and on up to college. I had a new student whose son is entering preschool this morning. I told him that while most of the songs were targeted at older kids’ experience in school, I had one song dedicated to his son. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up when Michael Jackson started singing “ABC.” I actually had one student in mind when I put this playlist together. She has several kids in school and even works as an administrator at a local private school, but unfortunately she was not there this morning—she’d gone to Boston to help get her daughter settled into her first year at college! Several students commented afterward that it was too bad Nina missed it, as she would have loved the playlist.

This class was a big hit. As the Ramones say, “Fun, fun, rock ‘n roll high school”!

4 Comments

  1. I’ll have to check Shari’s Climb out as well… but def NOT for this week!

  2. Author

    You are welcome Michelle. My students loved it too. The following week I did another climbing class (Shari’s Climb, Climb Again) so I had to promise a good fast flat class next week as well!

  3. Used this today, with a few song swaps. Def worth staying up late last night to plan! The regulars were back and ready to work. Full class, full of energy. Great feedback. “the music took my mind off the work,” was the general consensus. Turned into a really hard strength class and they loved it! I did have to promise a good fast flat class next week! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Love this! I plan to use it tomorrow. I will bookend it with School Days and Education, both from Schoolboys in Disguise by the Kinks. They make great pre- and post-class music for settling in and then the end of stretches for those who choose to take some extra time.

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